My record collection
[252] Damon & Naomi - False Beats and True Hearts (CD)

False Beats and True Hearts was Damon & Naomi’s 7th/8th studio album released in May 2011 on their own 20|20|20 label in the US. This copy was sent to me a month ahead of release by Damon and Naomi.

Damon & Naomi - False Beats and True Hearts (CD)

I remember that this album was very widely, and pretty well reviewed. Possibly more than any Damon & Naomi album before, or since. Not that Damon & Naomi were ever ignored, and I can’t really remember them getting (m)any poor reviews - it just seemed that this one either had a good press person who got it into the ears of lots of reviewers, or it just found its way there anyway. It deserved all that praise of course.

The album featured pretty much the same cast as the previous one, with Kurihara (guitar), Bhob Rainey (sax) and Greg Kelley (trumpet) all returning from Within These Walls.

It’s funny, I have absolutely no qualms about ranking Luna albums and would even occasionally try and rank Galaxie 500’s but it’s not something I can do with Damon & Naomi’s output. There are a couple that I don’t often return to, and when pushed I normally pick With Ghost as my favourite - but, more than any of the other AHFoW related artists the best Damon & Naomi album is invariably the last one I listened to.

Now, I don’t want to diss Damon, but almost always the song that I love most on an album has Naomi singing on it - the point at which I decide that the album I’m listening to right now is probably D&N’s finest is when Naomi is singing to me. On False Beats and True Hearts that moment comes quite early with the albums second track How Do I Say Goodbye which is breathtakingly beautiful. There’s a sweet live version of them doing it as a duo in Taiwan on YouTube, but the studio version with the electric guitar and the sax is just exquisite.

If that hadn’t roped me in, Nettles and Ivy would have done… actually listening now, maybe I love this song even more.

The album closes with Helsinki, which is a perfect ending, and does have Damon singing… but by the time I get here the album is already my favourite one… I guess until I listen to another of their albums.

Around the time of the release of False Beats Damon & Naomi were touring the UK, they played two dates in London - the first was a short set at Rough Trade East:

On Tuesday the duo, accompanied on this tour again by Kurihara, took to the stage at Rough Trade East for a short in-store performance... shorter for me as I got the start time wrong and was carrying out my family's demands that I bring home bagels from the wonderful 24 hour Beigel Bake. I missed the first song but caught the remaining four or five songs (I really should keep notes) that included Ueno Station, The Well, a couple of songs from the new album and a cover of The Rolling Stones' Shine a Light.

Review: Damon & Naomi in London - May 2011

The following night they were in Cafe OTO, which has become their regular haunt when playing in London. Richard Youngs opened the show with Damon drumming for him, the first time he’d been on stage behind a drum kit in London since Magic Hour toured in 1994.

Damon & Naomi at Cafe Oto (May 2011)

Damon & Naomi opened with Shine a Light and played and joked and chatted their way through another lovely evening. They have become very comfortable performers. Nice set, lots of highs including a cover of Galaxie 500's Blue Thunder which was (as always) a treat.

Review: Damon & Naomi in London - May 2011

I did video them playing Galaxie 500’s Blue Thunder but it looks like I did it using a toy camera… the sound’s not too bad though.

In between those two shows they also popped into XFM to record a session, which included How Do I Say Goodbye, Nettles and Ivy, and Helsinki! Plus their cover of Shine a Light. You can download the complete session on AHFoW.

• Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/063
• Artist: Damon & Naomi
• Title: False Beats and True Hearts
• Format: CD
• Buy ‘False Beats and True Hearts’ on Bandcamp